


A Little Spirit Goes a Long Way

by SonjaJade



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Christmas Tree, Gen, Winter, Winter Solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8741989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonjaJade/pseuds/SonjaJade
Summary: Roy suggests a Yule tree could really brighten up the Hawkeye house. Riza thinks he might be on to something.





	

Roy came in from shoveling snow, frozen to the bone and eager to warm up next to the kitchen stove where Riza was cooking. He’d been on snow removal duty, given a rickety ladder to climb up on top of the house and knock the snow off before it caved the roof in. Then he’d cleared the path to the house from the street and all along the front of the house.  
  
Without a word of thanks or concern, Riza handed him a steaming mug of hot tea. “That was fast.”  
  
He nodded, sitting on the step stool to take a sip and suck up the warmth from the oven. “Too damn cold to linger out there.”  
  
For a moment they said nothing, Riza naturally quiet and Roy’s tongue still likely frozen to the core. She tossed in some more ingredients for the stew and began to slowly stir. “What was winter like where you’re from?”  
  
He looked up at her from his place on the stool, as if he didn’t expect her to actually converse with him. “Well, it’s a lot warmer, because the buildings all radiate each other’s heat. Still cold, mind you. And the snow gets cleared away by city workers, most of it anyway.” He smiled at her. “I’ve never had to get snow off of a roof before. Kind of a scary experience!”  
  
She nodded. “It was my job before it was yours, I know.”  
  
Her father’s apprentice shook his head. “Does he do anything but alchemy all day?” He sighed and stood up, taking his mug to the sink and washing it. “Hey, Yule is next week… I was thinking I could put up a tree, if that’s alright with you. He doesn’t care what we do as long as we don't disturb him, I think.”  
  
Riza wiped her hands on her apron. “I think we might still have some ornaments somewhere. If not, we can always string some popcorn and make cookie ornaments.”  
  
“I can make a star from a couple empty soup cans. And we can use the scarf my aunt sent to wrap around the bottom!” He grinned at her and something in her heart thawed and warmed her all over. “It’ll be the best tree ever!”  
  
She sure hoped so. If just the thought of it made him smile like that, Riza really hoped it turned out nice.  
  
As it was, she found a box of ornaments and a small bit of tinsel, but they strung popcorn and red berries anyway. There were a few candle clips as well, and Roy used his alchemy to take some half burned candles and reshape them into ones they could put on the tree. Though the top of the fir tree out back was small and a little sparse when they began, it really filled out with the bright baubles and decorations they’d made.  
  
“We make a good team, Miss Hawkeye!” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s a real nice tree!”  
  
Riza smiled back at him, then looked at their creation. “It’s been years since we’ve bothered to put one up.”  
  
Her father came out of his study, holding his hand in a bloody rag. Probably sliced a finger open on something in his lab again. He paused his dash to the medical kit to take a look at the tree. She held her breath as they waited for his reaction.  
  
Though Riza couldn’t be sure, she thought she saw the tiniest smile slip up onto his lips. He went off again to find the bandages, calling out over his shoulder, “Don’t burn the house down with those candles.”  
  
Well, he didn’t tell them to take it down. Yeah, she had a feeling he really liked it. And Roy’s bright smile meant he had the same feeling.


End file.
